Jeremy Mayfield

Jeremy Allen Mayfield (born May 27, 1969) is a former American stock car racing driver. He drove cars for the Sadler brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas. In 2009, he drove for his own team, Mayfield Motorsports.

On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely as both owner and driver by NASCAR following what NASCAR said was a positive test for methamphetamine.^[1][2][3] A federal judge weighed the evidence and temporarily lifted the suspension on July 1 of that same year. On July 15, NASCAR said Mayfield had tested positive for methamphetamine for the second time after failing a random drug test on July 6.^[4] On July 24, a federal appeals court overturned the previous injunction Mayfield had been awarded, leaving him suspended from the sport.

Racing career

Beginnings

Mayfield began racing in his hometown of

Mayfield formally joined the Kranefuss-Haas team in

He began 2001 with two consecutive third-place finishes, but was released after the Protection One 400. Rumors circulated around the garage that he had burned bridges with Roger Penske in order to sign a new deal with Ray Evernham's team. Rusty Wallace added the next year, that he did not see head to head with Jeremy Mayfield as teammates and that they feuded several times. He later provided Jeremy Mayfield with a driving contract in Wallace's lower-tier team in 2005 as a sign of his regret.

In

Mayfield signed a contract with Bill Davis Racing for 2007, driving the No. 36 Toyota Camry.^[9] He ran a total of 13 races for Bill Davis Racing in 32 attempts with a best finish of 22nd at Kansas Speedway. In August 2007, it was announced that Mayfield and Davis would part ways at the end of the season.

Later in the season, he would take over driving the No. 66 car for

Mayfield completed seven races in the No. 70 with a best finish of sixteenth before he was released from the team. After July 9, 2008, Tony Stewart was able to announce his purchase into the Haas CNC team and the lineup of drivers to replace Riggs and Mayfield.

Mayfield would complete one additional race at Dover in the No. 40 Dodge, filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti. He would start tenth and finish twenty-fifth.

After failing to get a ride for the 2009 season, on January 19, 2009, Mayfield and his wife announced that he started his own team, Mayfield Motorsports. Mayfield would attempt the full season in a self-owned Toyota, using the number 41 (the number and owner points was purchased from Chip Ganassi Racing) and borrowing the Evernham-style of numbering. He raced his way into the Daytona 500 successfully. After ten races in the 2009 season, Mayfield qualified for just five. He was then embroiled in a substance abuse dispute that, for all intents and purposes, ended his NASCAR career. By July 2009, Mayfield had sold his race team and operations due to lack of sponsorship, and all members of the race team either resigned or were laid off.

During his NASCAR career, Mayfield had 36 career

Mayfield currently races in the Grand National Super Series & also in the KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Tour, making his debut in the series' inaugural race at Hickory Motor Speedway.^[15] In May 2014, Mayfield released a video, titled The Mayfield Story, to explain the substance abuse controversy from his point of view.^[16]

In July 2014, Mayfield returned to organized racing competition, driving in a

He currently competes around the northwest of the state of Georgia at local dirt tracks.

He earned his first career Late Model win on November 26, 2018, at Lavonia Speedway, which was his first race win in any division of motorsports, since his final Cup victory of his racing career in 2005. Afterwards, an emotional Mayfield called it the "biggest win of my life."

"It feels great to get these guys into victory lane," said Mayfield afterwards. "We've come close several times, and finally we get to snap that win drought. These guys put a great car under me today, and I couldn't be happier."^[20]

As of 2020, Mayfield has mended his bridges with Ray Evernham and has shown an interest as a possible participant in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series created by Evernham and Tony Stewart.^[21]

Personal life

He currently lives in Denver, North Carolina.^[19] Mayfield has been married twice and has no children.

Controversies

Release from Evernham Motorsports

On August 8, 2006, Mayfield learned through NASCAR.com that he was not placed onto the entry list for Watkins Glen, instead replaced by former Evernham driver Bill Elliott. The No. 19 team falling out of the top 35 in points was initially given as the reason for Mayfield's release.^[22] Evernham later confirmed that Mayfield had been released from his contract after making comments about Evernham not being at the track often. Mayfield later stated that the problems with the 19 car stemmed from lack of attention from the team owner due to a "close personal relationship" with developmental driver Erin Crocker. Mayfield stated that Evernham was not with the Cup cars most weeks because of the extensive attention that he was giving Crocker and her No. 98 truck team. Evernham later admitted that he was seriously involved in an affair with Crocker, whom he married in 2009.^[23]

Substance abuse violation

On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Owing to NASCAR policy, David Black, whose company (Aegis Sciences Corporation) oversees NASCAR's testing program, refused to specify the substance for which Mayfield tested positive, instead saying it was "a drug of concern."

Mayfield stated: "I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My doctor and I are working with both NASCAR consultant Dr. David Black and NASCAR to resolve this matter."

Black disputed Mayfield's claims, stating: "What we have is a clear violation of policy. In my many years of experience, I have never seen a violation like this due to the combination of over-the-counter or prescription products."^[24]

However, the week after his suspension, Mayfield stated that he had only taken two tablets of

For the Coca-Cola 600 and Sprint All-Star Race Mayfield Motorsports named former Hall of Fame Racing team driver J. J. Yeley as interim driver and Jeremy's wife Shana as the interim owner.^[25]

On June 9, 2009, ESPN.com stated that during the random drug screening on May 1 at Richmond International Raceway, Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine.^[26]

A doctor from Florida stated that it was impossible for Mayfield to use the levels of methamphetamine NASCAR claimed he did, or else he would be dead or a chronic user. According to another medical professional in Central Florida, the combination of medications cited by Mayfield has a 15% chance of a false positive being obtained.

On July 1, 2009, US District Court Judge

On July 15, 2009, NASCAR stated that Mayfield had again tested positive for methamphetamine during testing conducted outside of a NASCAR event, at and by entering Jeremy Mayfield's home on July 6, five days after his suspension was lifted. Mayfield continued to deny ever using the drug, and to account for the results by proper use of the OTC drug Claritin D combined with prescription treatment including Adderall.[29] Additionally, Mayfield took a drug test 40 minutes after NASCAR's, this time administered by and at a certified drug-testing laboratory not affiliated with NASCAR, and it was negative.

Lisa Mayfield, the widow of Jeremy Mayfield's father, stated that she was his mother and had seen him use methamphetamines many times since 1998. Jeremy Mayfield rejected these allegations; refuting statements cited the inability for Lisa to have adopted an adult, and adoption being a condition for the claimed relationship. Lisa Mayfield later trespassed on Jeremy's property and assaulted persons whom she found there, resulting in the arrest of Lisa Mayfield.^[30] The disputes were settled out of court, and Lisa Mayfield withdrew her claims concerning Jeremy Mayfield.

A federal appeals court reversed Mayfield's injunction on July 24, 2009. On May 18, 2010, Mullen threw out Mayfield's suit, saying that Mayfield waived his right to sue NASCAR for defamation, when he agreed to take part in NASCAR events. Accounts and documents submitted for the case between the two dates, are public record and can be found on PACER.

Mayfield could theoretically return to NASCAR if he completes NASCAR's "Road to Recovery" treatment program and submits to drug testing with a non-WADA-approved lab belonging to Black, the only lab accepted by NASCAR at the time (NASCAR has since replaced their approved drug testing lab in 2017).

On April 22, 2011, five dogs owned by Mayfield attacked a mail carrier who drove through the entrance gate past "Beware of Dogs" signs to deliver a package too large for the roadside mailbox. She received several scratches and bite marks on her legs. The dogs were immediately taken, then euthanized. On May 10, 2012, Mayfield was ordered to pay $1 million in the lawsuit of the dog attacks after failing to respond to a lawsuit.[33]

2011 arrest

On November 1, 2011, sheriff's deputies searched Mayfield's home in Catawba based on an informant's statement that Mayfield and four accomplices were staging burglaries to support Mayfield's methamphetamine habit.^[34] Mayfield was taken into custody after deputies claimed to find 1.5 grams of meth residue on a plastic bag in a gun safe.

Authorities later found $100,000 worth of stolen goods on a little-used area of Mayfield's property. Among the recovered items were heavy machinery that had been reported stolen from two businesses in neighboring Lincoln County in late 2010 and early 2011, as well as audiovisual equipment that was later reported stolen from the then-defunct Red Bull Racing Team in nearby Mooresville in February 2011.^[35]

The informant whose statement led to the original search, died with his passenger in 2012 in a motorcycle crash while evading police pursuit in the jurisdiction of a different law enforcement agency.^[36]

Almost all the charges were eventually dropped or thrown out, with Mayfield pleading to two counts of misdemeanor possession of stolen property and one count possession of drug paraphernalia in 2014.^[37]

In popular media

Mayfield is featured in the video for "Drowning (Face Down)" by the band Saving Abel.^[38] He was also featured in Alan Jackson's 1997 music video "Who's Cheatin' Who".^[39] And, in 2004, Mayfield participated in a Family Feud NASCAR special, hosted by then-host Richard Karn. In the special, Mayfield and his Evernham team faced off against Kevin Harvick on behalf of both drivers' foundations, with Mayfield and his team winning the game.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

Daytona 500

Busch Series

Craftsman Truck Series

ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

See also

• List of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race drivers
• List of people from Kentucky

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeremy Mayfield.

• Jeremy Mayfield driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Jeremy Mayfield owner statistics at Racing-Reference